Shaftesbury Homegrown is a community group who grow food seasonally as naturally and sustainably as we can. At our field on the edge of town a changing group of volunteers have shared farm tasks, learned new skills and enjoyed good company for more than 12 years. We currently have a range of wooden buildings, 3 small green houses, a polytunnel and a compost toilet. We harvest rainwater from shed roofs but can supplement that from a mains supply. As well as growing salad crops, fruit and veg we have chickens (for eggs) and keep bees (taking some honey but mainly for pollination). We’re currently developing options for keeping the chickens safe from bird flu and foxes without restricting their freedom too much.

We’re open to new members who want to grow food with like-minded people. Members get a discount (proportional to the hours worked) on seasonal produce. We work on any or all of Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings from 10am - 1pm and are open to establishing additional work sessions if the number of volunteers merits it!

‘Dorset Greener Homes’ visitors will get chance to talk with volunteers on site and to meet our chair, Helen English.